We’ve been down this road just recently with a few in-state players — UM’s Deshawn Sims and Manny Harris come to mind, along with Oakland’s Keith Benson. It’s the big question on everyone’s mind: Are they good enough for the NBA.

In Harris’ case the answer is a hearty “not yet,” while in Sims’ case it’s a definitive “not a chance in heaven or hell.”

Benson: Yessir.

But what about MSU’s Draymond Green? The undersized power forward from Saginaw High has been among Michigan State’s best and most consistent performers this season — not to mention easily the Spartans’ top post threat.

The more and more I think back on MSU’s loss on Wednesday to UNC the more and more I see it coming down to one thing, Izzo’s swings and misses on big men the last few years. Izzo has done a great job recruiting players in the backcourt, but the lack of depth and production out of the post is going to haunt this team all year. Lets take a quick look at the big men listed on the Spartan roster.

I’ll start first with the only two that I see being worth a hoot:

Delvon Roe – Has the potential to be great, however he is not a great post defender, and I’m not sure if he ever will be. He is a matchup problem on offense, but has not shown the ability to defend the post for a full game. He was pushed around while he was in the game by Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, and he also picked up his fifth foul with seven minutes left in the game. He will need to show great improvement if State is going to reach the Final Four as some predict.